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June 6, 2014

Liven up the summer grilling season with this great vintage Tabasco Barbecue Sauce recipe

The birds are chirping merrily, the sun is shining like mad, and all eyes are gazing out the window. After another long winter and soggy spring, it's time! Time, that is to put on our favourite vintage sundresses, patio ensembles, and open-toed shoes and head outside for a fabulous al fresco meal, be it cooked indoors and brought out in Mother Nature's living room or prepared under the wide open June sky.

{Bust out the corn skewers, checkered table clothes, acrylic dishes, and charcoal briquettes, it's time to fire up the grill and settle in for a season of thoroughly scrumptious outdoor eats again. Image source.}

So long as one isn't plagued by too many pesky insects, I could happily eat every last one of my meals outdoors all the way until early October, when autumn's distinctly nippy chill returns to the air. I'm by no means the first person to make this observation, but, I swear, food just tastes better outdoors - especially it happens to be accompanied by a soothingly warm summer breeze and a stunning sunset waltzing across the horizon.

Today's yesteryear recipe is one of those handy mid-century gems that we'd all do well to add to our cookbooks, especially at this roasty, toasty time of the year when grilling and campfire cooking come out in full force once more.

Hailing from the 1940s or 50s, based on the illustration on this recipe page (no background information was provided for it by the person who shared it on Flickr), this lip-lickingly appealing vintage Tabasco Barbecue Sauce recipe would be scrumptious way to dress up everything from chicken beasts to beef steaks, pork chops to veggie burgers, kebabs, hot dogs, seafood, meatloaf, even pizza cooked on the grill.

{Tangy, aromatic, and seriously tasty, with a good hit of spicy kick to it as well, this great mid-century Tabasco Barbecue Sauce recipe is a breeze to whip up and easily be multiplied however many times you need to feed the hungry crowd of diners you'll be feeding this summer. Image source.}

If you're not a fan of (or aren't, as is the case for me, able to safely eat spicy foods for medical reasons), fear not, you can leave out the Tabasco, and this sauce will still sing! I usually up the brown sugar to three or four tablespoons, reduce the vinegar by a tablespoon, and add in a little more (1/4 cup) ketchup, as I generally prefer a sweet, moist barbecue sauce to one that's searing with spicy heat.

You could easily toss in some of your favourite dried or fresh herbs here as well. Switch out the white vinegar for a flavoured one, opt for shallots or scallions instead of the onions, use oil instead of butter or margarine (especially if you wanted to ensure this sauce was vegetarian or vegan), use honey instead of white sugar, give it a good grinding's worth of freshly cracked black pepper as well (which I always do and it makes a noticeable improvement here). Or, of course, you can just as easily leave well enough alone and enjoy it precisely as it appears here.

After years of living in places that didn't permit one, very shortly after we got our own condo here in Penticton back in 2012, we invested in great barbeque and it's been one of my all-time favourite home related purchases we've ever made. It's already been fired up multiple times this spring and will continue to help us get many a tasty meal on the table all throughout the coming summer months.

Even if you don't have a barbecue of your own or ready access to one, you can still grill indoors with an electric grill, griddle, or under the broiler, and top your tasty creations with this wonderfully flavourful vintage barbecue sauce.

In fact, you can apply it to food cooked any old way you prefer (grilled or otherwise). Like any good sauce, this one is as versatile as the day is long and as a fabulous as summer is sunny, meaning it will work just as well drizzled over breakfast burritos in January as it does on plump rib eye steaks in June.

22 comments:

Hey Sweetie. Nice vintage post. But to highlight the difference between that time and now, you should know that the company making Tabasco sauce is extremely protective of their intellectual property. They warn and sue people who use their name, even in non-competing contexts like this one. You're probably under the radar and I don't want to unduly alarm you, but it's a concern. If you need advice, contact me offline.

Hi Ally, thank you very much for having my best interest at heart. It means a lot to me. I appreciate the head's up and will be very, very careful about how I use the word Tabasco sauce online from here on out. You'd think that since this recipe features their product, they'd love the (vintage fuelled) publicity, but to each (company) their own. Your advice will not be taken lightly and again, I truly do appreciate that you were/are watching out for me. Thank you!

♥ Jessica

*PS* My apologies for the delay in replying due to being in Vancouver and not home on my computer as per usual.

this is perfect. love the whole idea of a 50s neighborhood cookout atmosphere, with a dapper dad in an apron and smiling, sundress clad women carrying bowls of colorful stuff on a golden summer evening. such cute pictures you included, too. thank you for sharing, Jessica :)~Abigail

ah jessica - the right post at the right time! we have lovely warm weather and a grill session on the garden terrasse would be great. i always love to make my own sauce, with some fresh things like onions, garlic or herbs and some hot stuff - tabasco is perfect for that. and for a bloody mary ;-)

YUMMY! I love bbq's outside it always makes me feel so vintagy. My favorite summertime thing is good friends outside late into the evening while we loose track of time and the kids race around the backyard. Bliss.

I will have to try this recipe! I absolutely love eating outdoors too, although I prefer taking my repast out into the woods or to the very edge of a placid lake. But either way you slice it, food definitely tastes better outdoors, as long as the bees mind their own business. :)

If all things went well - you are in Vancouver now!Reading your blog for so long, I came to define certain little "moments" in it, and I have wondered why there was no "recipe moment" lately. Just when I questioned, it came out. Oh, and meat.. don't let me start on meat - I'm so keen on it.. unfortunately, my mom does not tolerate the smell of barbecue, so we tend to avoid it (meaning: when I want that "touch of smoke" taste - I eat out) :D

I completely agree about eating outside (as long as the mosquito and fly situation isnt too bad). I hope you have many opportunities to enjoy it this summer. Our barbecue area is a long and slow DIY project, but I hope it will be ready next summer! I feel silly having not had a bbq in 3 years living in a house with a dedicated bricked area for it. But now my husband has rebuilt the previously-rotten wooden benches, we've removed the rusty built-in bbq and replaced it with a new portable one, and the surrounding herb beds are flourishing, so it's all happening at last! A bit more weeding and tidying over the winter, and some cushions, and it'll be BBQ time at my place (well, Veggie-Q, anyway!)

Ooh!!! I'm feeling hungry now! This sauce sounds delicious! We've already fired up the BBQ on several occasions, as it's inbred in us to do so at the first opportunity of sunshine, being South African! I'm definitely going to try this sauce, and hubby will be pleased as he likes Tabasco on everything! Thanks for sharing Jessica! Tania xxx

Mmm! Can't wait to try it! And who couldn't resist a recipe with such delightful vintage illustrations?! I do love me some sweet BBQ sauce, so I'd definitely follow suit and up the brown sugar content!

love a good summer bbq! never have tried to tabasco sauce. i know people love it on a variety of things and i do like a sauce to spice rather bland foods up, but have yet to try it. maybe that is something i can do this year?! :)

Now granted I haven't been able to eat spicy foods safely for many years now without doing serious harm to some of my medical conditions, but from what I can recall Tabasco has a pleasant kick and zingy heat to it that really complimented meat in particular well. I'd suggest starting with just a few drops in a dish (say, a red pasta sauce for example) that you already know and love and building up from there if you find you enjoy its fiery flavour.

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

Stay a spell and have a blast as we explore the incomparably fantastic world of vintage history and fashion together.

All images used on this site are credited to their original posters/creators/sources,
however if at any time you would prefer not to see one of your images here, please email me and I'll take it down right away.

PS...I just wanted to say thank you very much for visiting and to tell you that you're equal parts awesome and beautiful.